1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to protective apparel, and particularly to a protective suit having various features for protecting the wearer and alerting authorities in the event of an accident.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many people are involved in potentially hazardous activities, either by necessity through their occupations, or as a result of their hobbies or leisure activities. Perhaps the most widely recognized of such activities is motorcycle riding, although many other activities (e.g., rock climbing, certain athletic competitions, etc.) can be hazardous as well.
Accordingly, protective apparel has been developed in the past to protect the person engaged in such potentially hazardous activities. Such protective apparel is generally directed to helmets to protect the head, and standards have been developed for helmets used in many different fields. Complete body apparel has also been developed to a lesser extent, which generally comprises a garment constructed of relatively thick and durable material, such as leather.
The problem with such helmets and suits is that they are passive garments and do not have sensors to determine when an accident occurs and to activate various protective measures in the event of such an accident. Yet, in many cases a person may be engaged in an activity wherein certain readily detectable circumstances place the person at risk. An example of such may occur when riding a motorcycle. The motorcycle will likely provide a relatively smooth ride without excessive accelerative forces in any direction under normal circumstances. However, in the event of an accident the motorcycle (and rider) will experience unusual forces and accelerations not encountered in normal riding. Protective apparel having sensors for such forces and means to reduce those forces on the rider would provide many benefits to the motorcycle rider and others engaged in potentially hazardous activities where sudden abnormal forces might injure the participant.
Thus, a protective suit solving the aforementioned problems is desired.